Don't Touch That Tail!

I don't know about you, but I place a lot of value on my horses' tails--I used to spend hours just combing my fingers through my horses' thick tails. My fingers would slowly work through all the tangles as I watched each strand lightly fall back into place. It's a cheap form of therapy, but it was my therapy. I'd scrub my Palomino's white tail until it was reflecting light, and I'd always have to work hard to get through my reiner's extremely thick tail. It always struck me when I'd see a chunk of tail stuck in a fence post or on the stall wall, so I'd collect the hairs, braid them, and keep them in my desk drawer.

Lark's tail is my pride and joy--this is after a recent groom job freeing her tail of burrs and dreadlocks, and having to cut-off 3 inches to keep it from dragging the ground.

My senior year of high school, the night before the Indiana High School Rodeo State Finals I went down to the barn to give my barrel horse a bath before loading her in the trailer. You can imagine my horror and dismay when I opened Tangy's door to find that her tail (which wasn't the most glorious of tails, but it was still nice) was now in a bob! Overnight her tail went from tapering nicely to mid-fetlock to now being blunt-cut and bobbed just above the hock!

The culprit? Our goat. I knew immediately what had happened--the goat that I had to practice goat tying (yes, I was a "nanny slammer") had jumped over Tangy's back stall door, dined on her tail, and then hopped out. Tangy looked just as crushed as I was. (I like to think horses have a pride about their tails as much as we humans pride ourselves at taking care of said tail.)

So imagine the extreme upset surrounding horse owners in Montana when they discovered someone had cut four feet (ack!) from their Morgan horses' tails. FOUR FEET!! Can you imagine how long it'll take to re-grow that??

With Tangy's tail, I meticulously conditioned and massaged her tail on a regular basis, read-up on all the different ways to get hair to grow faster, and concocted many different elixirs to spray and soak her tail. Everyone would ask what happened to her tail and the answer was always the same: "The goat..." Needless to say, said goat found a new home on a neighbor's farm before he partook in feasting on my show horses' tails (a fake tail can only do so much). I think it took a good year before her tail started to look normal again, and now, almost ten years later, it's back to that nice taper at mid-fetlock.

Are you just as obsessed with your horse's tail as I am? Have any tips to share with everyone on conditioning, detangling, or just protecting it? We are getting into colder weather, which means we aren't able to wash and condition tails as often, so how do you cope?

About the Author

Megan Arszman

Megan Arszman received a Bachelor of Science In print journalism and equine science from Murray State University in Murray, Ky., and loves combining her love of horses, photography, and writing. In her “free time,” when she’s not busy working as a horse show secretary or riding her American Quarter Horses on her parents’ Indiana farm, she’s training and competing her Pembroke Welsh Corgi and Swedish Vallhund in dog agility and running.

Comments

The views expressed in the posts and comments of this blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Horse or Blood-Horse Publications. They should be understood as the personal opinions of the author. All readers are encouraged to leave comments; all points of view are welcome, but comments that are discourteous and/or off-topic may be removed.

I have an appaloosa mare who, unfortunately, received her stud's thin and stringy mane and tail. Nearly every day/night when she is in her stall (she's done this since she was born - or at least tall enough to reach) she SOAKS HER TAIL in her water bucket!!! She contentedly backs up to her bucket, cocks a hind leg and relaxes to take a good long soak!!! I can't say the science behind this, but her tail (she's 10 now) is still thin, but falls well below her hocks!!

Claudia

04 Nov 2010 3:45 PM

I have a Warmblood/Tb cross mare who has rubbed the the bejeebers out of her tail. I have tried most every antibacterial shampoo known to man, including Wisk. I've tried spray ons, gels, and even I've washed her nipples with listerine. She is wormed regularly, and she is still rubbing her tail under her turnout, albeit less often. Does anyboy know of anything I havn't tried yet?

Cathy

04 Nov 2010 6:30 PM

Cathy, try the product M.T.G. found online @Horse.com.

robin

04 Nov 2010 6:43 PM

Itchy tails are common. Most horses LOVE to have their tails scratched. One of my regular habits with my horses is to stand behind them and vigorously massage their tails from the base to the tip using my fingernails. This hasn't affected the look of their tails at all... but they sure love it.

Dan

04 Nov 2010 7:10 PM

yup, I've tried M.T.G too.

Cathy

04 Nov 2010 7:45 PM

vetericyn

STACEY

04 Nov 2010 8:04 PM

or calm coat

STACEY

04 Nov 2010 8:05 PM

I'm a tail fanatic, too. After trying many products, I'm thrilled with the results from using Tail Rx, a three-part system of shampoo, root conditioner, and hair conditioner. Unfortunately expensive, but it works beautifully on my horses' tails. I have also found that dirty udders, vulvas, and sheaths are frequently the cause of tail rubbing.

Donna

04 Nov 2010 8:39 PM

geez, a couple of things I havn't tried. thanks

Cathy

04 Nov 2010 10:12 PM

My two year old rescued Percheron would have had a beautiful tail, had it not been docked before I got her. Fortunately it is still thick, and with luck and care it may grow long...time will tell. It hangs in beautiful jet black waves.

Beth

05 Nov 2010 12:54 PM

my little 17 year old friend has a mare who has ear warts real bad.I was told to try Vetericyn an dit would kill the virus an dthe warts would go away. she can not afford to take the horse to the vet.Is there anything she can do to get the warts out of the horse's ears?

karen

05 Nov 2010 2:50 PM

IF too am a tail freak. I scratch my horses tails on a regular basis and they love it. I frequently find that a tick has gotten on their udder, underside of their hind legs or around their anus or there abouts. Once I spray the tick with Pyranha and kill it, I then put some cortizone on the tick bite and have used lidocaine with it. M.T.G, is good for ticks and bacterial stuff with the sulfur in it. My other grooming tip is using benyzel peroxide shampoo on a white or light gray tail to get it squeaky clean and get the yellow out. May have to use it once a week for a while to get it perfect and then maintain it. It is pretty drying so you can't use it any more often than that. It is great for white socks too. It is an acne treatment face wash. Expensive but so oh well, anything to get my tails white!!Oxyclean is what I use in a pinch. I keep show sheen on their tails in between times. And I do brush their tails out rather than leave them for a show or special event. You just can't rip thru it at all. If you feel resistance, quit and get some conditioner and rub it in to get a tangle out.I figure I brush my hair and if a hair is ready to be shed that is just nature. But you can destroy one by being rough with it. DON"T do THAT!!

PAULA

05 Nov 2010 9:23 PM

These are all great suggestions and tips!

I've never seen Tail Rx, Donna, but I'll definitely have to look into it the next time I need some tail therapy.

Megan

08 Nov 2010 11:58 AM

Try Avon's "Skin So Soft for an itchy tail. Just dilute it about 1: 6 with water and spray and rub into the top of the tail. It works every time.

Jill

09 Nov 2010 3:52 PM

In regards to thin tails, a somewhat frightening but very effective way to get them to grow thicker is to shave up the sides of the top of the tail where you would normally pull it (if you're the type who pulls rather than braid). My TB show mare has always had a long tail, but it was very thin and tatty to begin with. After we did this it grew in lovely and thick and has stayed so ever since.

Charlotte

09 Nov 2010 4:37 PM

A great product to stop tail rubbing is called Tail Therapy. You can rub it into their tails on a daily basis( no washing needed). Not sure who makes it but I have ordered it on the internet from various places.

Lisa

09 Nov 2010 5:00 PM

When my gelding starts rubbing his tail, I check his sheath - it's usually dirty. And with my mare - she rubs her tail when her udder has gotten dirty. I routinely check her udder with every grooming session.

Susan

09 Nov 2010 5:26 PM

Any tricks on cleaning up a palomino tail - that has had years of neglect (stains)? I've got a new pretty girl who needs some tlc and a day of beauty! Not that she's not already a beauty!

Samm

09 Nov 2010 7:29 PM

My younger mares rub their tails with a passion on posts, trees, buckets to the point of smashing them when they are in season. Which almost seems all of the time in the summer. Considering they have silky fine wispy hair they have no hair to spare to lose. I have also tried washing their udders, private parts. I have tried the 3 part tail ties as well as tail bags and to my horror one filly ripped the tail wrap out with her attached tail hair on a bucket. I have applied MTG, Listerine, Mane and Tail, baby oil, Show Sheen, Cowboy Magic, Healthy Hair, etc. I feed flax seed, 50mg Biotin supplements but the tail hair is still fine and wispy. Even though they have dapples and a bloom to their coat. Nothing seems to help. The tops of their tails are like bristle brushes and the bottoms a thin wisp of a tail from catching precious tail hair on a fence, tree or bucket they have rubbed against. I would love to know somnething that would grow back the hair back thick and quickly as well as stop the rubbing too.

Carol

09 Nov 2010 7:43 PM

Our vet actually told my wife and to use a topical NSAID I don't remember which one it was but it works very well on our throughbred geldings tail, if I remember correctly it's just like a person with clinical dandruff such as seboriah dermatitis which I have unfortunately. The condition I have causes the scalp to build up dead skin in a waxy layer very irritating and uncomfortable, it leaves the skin very chaffed, itchy and raw if the build isn't removed. Ever have itchy feet after sweating in your boots and socks all day, same idea :( Your horses tail isn't quite as bad but very similar the Topical NSAID provides relief for the itching which stops the scratching which means more TAIL yay for all, ask your vet which NSAID cream to use :) hope I helped some

Christopher

09 Nov 2010 7:59 PM

my arab and tb lost their mane and tails to selenium poisoning. a friend told me to use a product called pomada de azefur. it's a sulfur based acne medicine made in mexico. some wal-marts carry it in the ethnic section or you can get it on ebay. working great so far especially on their manes. just put on the roots of mane and tail. smells bad so put on gloves. i do it about once a week it's better on clean hair but I use it anytime.

melissa

09 Nov 2010 8:17 PM

My western pleasure Arabian gelding has a tail that drags the ground by almost 3 feet! Our secret? It ONLY is let down the moment he enters the show ring, then back up immediately. I braid and then vet wrap his tail after conditioning and it stays in a "ball" over which i put a regular tail bag so he can swat flys.

Pat

11 Nov 2010 4:09 PM

In the spring during shedding I always add Wesson Vegetable oil to my horses feed to help them shed out. My daughter and I discovered that by massaging the horses' tail dock and mane with Wesson Oil they grew twice as fast. My stud colts tail went from knee to fetlock within six months.

Susan

11 Nov 2010 7:04 PM

There are two things that will make my Morgan mare rub the top of her tail the first being that it is just plain itchy! For this I started using T-Gel ( a human dandruff shampoo) and it stopped her itching and the hair has grown back. The second reason she will start itching her back end/top of tail is that she has a blanket or sheet on and is hot, so solution: don't overdress her. I am very fortunate that she really has a beautiful tail which is now about 18 inches onto the ground when not wrapped. During the winter I do have to take it down once or twice and wash it, dry it and condition then put it back up. We will have to trim it in the Spring but I am betting that it will be beautifully thick.

I also work with an Appy stallion who's tail I put up in the winter. Last year it grew quite a bit and come Spring he had a bit more fly whacking power.

SUZANNE

11 Nov 2010 10:02 PM

I'm kind of surprised nobody has mentioned pinworms yet as a reason for tail rubbing! The first thing to check is that your deworming regimen is working -- check with your vet on this and have fecal counts done if necessary. Next, check the underside of the tail, anus, vulva and teats/sheath area for cleanliness. As noted by others, cleaning these regularly and judicious application of topical NSAIDs, steroids or antibacterials can work wonders. Always check with your vet on the appropriate treatment if regular deworming and cleaning alone does not address the problems. Other than that, I find careful neglect to be the best medicine for a thin tail! ;-)

Adam

12 Nov 2010 6:42 AM

First Clean, moisturize, and check for pin worms which are common problems that can causing tail rubbing.

But whenever I have any skin mane or tail trouble I turn to my old favorite Mirra Coat it can take some time to feed through to the problem, but it is worth its weight in gold!

Cindi

12 Nov 2010 7:52 AM

MTG works wonders... makes my percheron stop rubbing... BONUS... he has a full tail past his hocks compared to the little stub he had two years ago.

Chris

12 Nov 2010 10:42 AM

I swear by MTG and Mirra Coat! My App gelding lost 1/2 his tail about 2 years ago to an unknown cause...happened right after a severe soft tissue injury. I started using the MTG & M.C. and within 6 months had 8 inches of growth. Now his tail is below his fetlocks

Debbie

13 Nov 2010 10:20 AM

One word of caution when using MTG. Try it on a small patch of hair for any reaction. I had a mares skin skald and peel after using it.

Deborah

14 Nov 2010 10:24 AM

I use MTG on my horses tails. It does work wonders. Regular deworming helps too.

Janelle

14 Nov 2010 1:26 PM

Pat--don't you worry that the weight of the "ball" of hair inside the Vet Wrap will break the hairs around the tail bone, thus doing the opposite of promoting growth? I've known a few friends who have done this (they, too, show Arabs, Morgans, etc.), but their horses don't have as thick of tails as my QHs. They do grow long, though!

Megan

16 Nov 2010 4:09 PM

Beth,

You can buy a cream called "Wartsoff" for treating warts. Check KV Supply or other.

LYNDA

16 Nov 2010 9:57 PM

This might sound wierd but I use organic olive oil on my horse's tails. I rub into the tail bone when the horse is bathed. Then I apply just a small amount into my hands, rub together and lightly cover the rest of the hair, dock to end and "finger comb" to distribute and absorb. Only a light application is neccesary as you don't want dust and dirt to attach to the tail! I started doing this after I found that tail wraps seem to do more damage to the tail than just leaving them alone. The oil seems to keep the tails from becoming brittle and breaking during our Colorado winters...

POCKETMOM

18 Nov 2010 3:42 PM

My mare has sweet itch and so rubs her mane and tail a lot. I have tried a lot of different things to ease her itching. T-gel shampoo works, but i don't show and don't bathe her often. the thing that has helped with the health of her hair and skin is Vit. E. Our other horse is on a high dose to help counteract EPM so i started giving her the normal dose. Her mane and tail hair is much healthier now and the skin which was really flakey is now less so.

Susan

23 Nov 2010 4:39 PM

Many years ago I had my youngsters tail eaten by the pony in the field with him - overnight! Nothing else could have done it.

More recently I bred a colt from my anglo arab mare, and he inherited her mane, but his dad's lovely tail. No probs with the tail, but every time we plaited his mane and then undid the plaits, huge bits fell out. So we gave up plaiting unless we were at a really big show, and consequently got rebuked for having not done so by judges.

His forelock has about six hairs in it, and makes the thinnest plait you ever saw. Pathetic.

Sadly he would look really silly hogged, due to his breed, and I doubt it would EVER grown back again.

My cob, on the other hand, has the absolute thickest, longest, fastest growing mane and tail of any horse I've ever met. ANd is supersensitive to grass, so goes round with green streaks in the tail all the time. I spend a lot of time washing it in summer.

Fil

05 Jan 2011 4:33 AM

What leave-in conditioner can I use now that its getting colder and I am unable to bathe my Percheron. I would like to condition and then do a running braid on his mane to keep stickers and briars out of it as he is pastured. Any ideas people? I just got him a few days ago and am starting 'horse care 101'

Cheryl

28 Nov 2012 5:58 PM

Around October, my national top ten western pleasure horse was stolen. when I found him (the day after the night he was taken) his tail which was over 8 feet long and drug on the ground, was chopped off up to the end of the tail bone. His tail was still all wrapped up in its vet wrap and bag, neatly placed in the corner of his stall with a pair of scissors...

Featured Adoptable Horse

Annabelle

A she was trained as a pack mule but then changed hands to an abusive owner
She is now re gaining her faith in the human population, but is still suspicious of men, and ropes around her rear end.
She now stands quietly for the plastic bag, walk ... Read More